“I had the car driven by a Latino undercover police officer from the District Attorney’s office to see if the sergeant would take the bait. And indeed, the first time we tried, he took the bait,” said Spota. “It’s always a sad day when we have to announce the arrest of a police officer.”

Greene, a 25-year veteran of the force, makes $170,000 a year, Spota said.

Greene allegedly targeted drivers in Farmingville and Medford at a time when Suffolk police are trying to rebuild their relationship with the Hispanic community.

“If there is any good that comes from this, it is that the department wants the latino community to know that when we receive a complaint, we treat it seriously,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Edward Webber said.

Police are reviewing all of Greene’s traffic stops to see if there is a pattern of targeting Hispanics. If so, he could face more serious hate crime charges, CBS 2’s Carolyn Gusoff reported.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges in court on Friday.

Prosecutors have not released Greene’s photo, hoping that more victims will come forward and independently identify him.